Going Down?
by numberf1ve
Summary: Every day Anna looks forward to taking the elevator. One afternoon, however, things don't go exactly as she planned...


_**I do not own Frozen or any of the associated characters, obviously...**_

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Anna stared impatiently at the large clock that hung on the wall. Four minutes until the work day ended. "Come on, come on, come oonnn," the redhead whispered to herself, willing the hands of the clock to move faster.

Quitting time - Anna's favorite part of the day. It was not because she disliked her job. On the contrary, she loved her job. She had a great boss as well. Good money, excellent benefits. No complaints. Even still, Anna stared longingly at the clock every afternoon waiting for her work to end and the best 45 seconds of her day to begin.

Two minutes thirty seconds later, Anna's desk was cleared and her bag packed. Only a minute and a half to go.

Her best friend, Kristoff, stopped by to wish Anna a good evening, though the girl barely registered his presence, she was so focused on the clock. The large man rolled his eyes. He should have known better by now. This had been Anna's normal afternoon ritual for more than two months. He watched his friend for a moment, waiting for her to acknowledge him, then chuckled quietly and ruffled her hair, finally getting her attention, "Ack! What the hell, Kristoff?!"

Kristoff just laughed, "I said, 'Have a good night,'" he began, "You know, you really need to make a move before you drive yourself crazy...uh, crazier," he concluded, still smiling.

Anna turned briefly to face him, "Today is the day. I feel it. I'm going to...to, um, do...something?" she floundered, "Anyway, I have plenty of time to figure it out. I'll be fine...absolutely."

"Oh yeah, twenty or thirty whole seconds?! This plan can't miss," Kristoff laughed. The blonde man clapped her the back a little more roughly than he had intended, "Go get 'em, Tiger," he teased good naturedly before walking back toward his own desk to gather his things.

The redhead watched him walk away and scooped up her bag, holding it tightly in her hand. She stood from her desk, mentally counting down the last ten seconds as she made her way to the door and disappeared through it right on time. Anna hurried down the hall. She passed the bank of elevators closest to her office (the south elevators), heading instead to the second (north) set on the other side of the building. She had to hurry.

Finally, panting, she rounded the corner and arrived at the other elevators. She pressed the button and waited, trying to calm her breathing. The elevator doors opened and Anna glanced inside. There were two middle-aged women dressed very well and a portly man with a pompous air about him. No one else was in the car. "Plenty of room, deary," one of the ladies commented, gesturing for Anna to join them.

"Thank you, no," Anna smiled apologetically, "I'm waiting for someone. I'll take the next one."

The pompous man grumbled something about 'time-wasters' as he pressed the door close button with a fat thumb.

Anna did not care.

She looked at her watch. Maybe she was too late. Maybe she had missed it. She had missed it many times before. The girl kicked at an imaginary rock on the floor, disappointed. She pressed the down button again, hoping that the next car would be the one. Anna stood with her fingers crossed as the north elevator's doors once again slid open revealing only one occupant.

The girl in the elevator was slightly taller than Anna, with bright blue eyes, and long, very light-colored hair drawn back into a meticulous braid. Her pale complexion was dusted with the faintest hint of freckles. Anna almost lost her composure, but held it together long enough to step into the elevator and press the already lit ground floor button.

The blonde's eyes met Anna's just for a moment before moving to politely stare straight ahead, as is common elevator etiquette. Anna smiled in return, causing the corners of the other girl's mouth to twitch upward ever so slightly, to the redhead's absolute delight. Anna could scarcely keep her grin from stretching wide across her face. She had made it. Now for the best part of her day - riding in the elevator with the girl if her dreams.

Never mind that neither girl ever spoke...that was irrelevant.

Anna was in love; from the first moment she set eyes on the blonde three months earlier when the south side elevators had broken down and were closed. The building was old and, among other issues, one or the other of the elevator banks was almost always in need of repair.

This particular day it was the redhead's elevators that required attention. Anna had since insisted that it was the best day of her life...so far. At the time she had been very annoyed at having to walk all the way to the far side of the building to catch the north elevator. However, her unhappy mood disappeared in the instant she saw the blue-eyed beauty standing in the already crowded elevator car.

Actually, it was pretty awkward as first meetings go. Anna was so busy staring that she forgot to step into the elevator. She stood in the open doorway gawking obliviously until an impatient attorney finally snapped her back to reality, "In or out, lady. Some of us have places to go," he said angrily. Anna had been so embarrassed that she muttered a quick apology and walked away, blushing crimson.

She took the stairs that day.

The next day, and every other since, Anna made an end-of-the-day pilgrimage to the north elevators in hopes of riding with, and maybe even speaking to the object of her desire. So far, though, she had managed to catch the right car only a handful of times; braving nothing more than a few casual glances and shy smiles. The ride down to the ground floor lasted only about 45 seconds before the elevator doors slid open once more and the pair stepped out into the world, parting ways.

Hoping that her still present grin was not coming across as creepy, Anna stood in her normal position near the back of the elevator car such that she could get a better view of the girl. Today was the day, she thought. Today was the day she would finally speak to the blonde, maybe even ask her if she'd like to get coffee sometime. All she needed to do was start the conversational ball rolling, but how? Anna's eyes flitted hurriedly over the blond, looking for an ice breaker, eventually settling on complimenting her hair.

Anna took a deep breath, "I LIKE YOUR HAIR," she blurted out inelegantly. _Oh my god, Anna thought to herself, I sounded like a creep AND a moron! Great! Well maybe she didn't hear me...she hasn't responded yet._ Anna's hopes were immediately dashed as the blonde turned slightly toward her, face slightly pink, and muttered a quick, 'thank you' before once again facing front.

Anna slumped. _Way to be creepy, Anna._ The redhead decided to try again. She had at least 25 more seconds and she absolutely had to fix what was threatening to become a disaster. "I mean," she tried, "you look like you're ready for a photoshoot or something! And it's the end of the day! I just think you're amazing...your hair, that is. Your hair is amazing..." _Jesus, Anna, stop talking._

The blonde turned, an amused look on her face, "Thanks."

Anna smiled broadly, "You're totally welcome!" _'Totally?' Oh good...because I didn't already sound like an idiot. Ok, Anna, just be quiet. Don't say another word. Tomorrow is another day._

As Anna continued to berate herself, there was a crashing sound. The elevator suddenly gave a lurch and stopped, knocking both of its occupants off-balance. "Uh...that didn't sound good," Anna noted uneasily, "Shit! I think we're stuck."

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 ** _Stuck in an elevator? Bad. Stuck in an elevator with the girl of your dreams? Good. Maybe?_**

 ** _As always - suggestions, questions, comments, and rude remarks are welcomed and encouraged._**

 ** _Reviews are welcomed, encouraged, and GREATLY appreciated. :)_**

 ** _Til next time..._**


End file.
